Random thoughts from a few cantankerous American physicians. All contributors are board certified. Various specialties are represented here. I do not know where this will lead but hope it will at least be an enjoyable read. All of the names mentioned in this blog are pseudonyms, the ages have been changed, and in half the cases the gender as well. All photographs are published with patient consent or are digitally altered to preserve anonymity. Trust us, we're doctors.

lofty, i want to stay in medicine. i love the medicine... don't mistake me. i'm looking for the right spot where i can actually be a little bit in charge of the unimportant stuff, you know, like getting patients cared for in a timely fashion and labs ordered correctly and medicines given correctly. i think there is a place but it's not here.

Best girlfriend I ever had: 3'6", no teeth, father owned a liquor store... you know the rest.

I, like lofty, love my job. I too actually like doing something that I think is valuable to humanity. I believe 911 will find a place that fits. the current situation sounds dismal.

If I quit medicine I would get an MBA and go into finance and make fuckloads of cash and retire and play golf all day and drink until i died of liver failure at 55. Oh, and I'd do tons of whores. Sweet.

I cut down from full time. ANd will never go back. IF I could make as much money as I do making drinks at Starbucks, I would be tempted to do that. Especially since everybody wants to litigate against the OB, the nurse, the food service people, the guy who washes the floor. Just about everyone is at fault if a baby does not come out perfect.

Well, Lofty, you sound just like Congress. "How will we ever balance the budget, we don't have enough revenue to do that."

You surely know that there are always two sides to every equation. You are only looking at the income side.

I was a computer programmer. Many engineers hate their jobs. There is a small but significant movement in high tech fields to retire early.

The biggest secret is to control your expenses. You can be happier with less. Years ago when I was making $100K/year I was less happy than I am now on $20K. It's all about perspective.

Read this hilarious book. It's a quick read. My favorite parts are his stories about his ex-girlfriend, named 'Nasty.' You guys would love this book.

I'm too lazy to go find his book to review the investing advice. I think it was wrong. If you don't know how to invest, I'll give you the only two things you really need to know. 1) Never, ever pay someone else to manage your portfolio. 2) Implement a plan like Scott Burns' couch potato investment plan by using low cost index funds from some place like Vanguard.

You can trust me on this, I'm an expert on personal finance. At $20K/year I have to be.

Heres what you should do 9-11.. Well Ima packin up my game and Ima head out west, Where real women come equpped with scripts and fake breasts, Find a nest in the hills, chill like Flint. Buy an old drop top, find a spot to pimp, with a bottle of scotch, and watch lots of crotch. Buy a yacht with a flag sayin 'chillin the most' then rock that bitch up and down the coast. Give a toast to the sun, drink with the stars, get thrown in the mix, and tossed out of bars, On to Tijuana, start an escort service, for all the right reason, and set up shop at the top of 4 seasons, cause I wanna be a Cowboy Baby..